Tag: writing

The Art of Writing a Sensational First Line

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 17 Comments

Do you know the aim of your opening line?

It’s quite simple.

The opening line exists just to get people to read your second line. That’s all.

But do you know what that means?

You have to keep your first sentence short. Really short. Clear and concise, keep these two words in mind when you write that opening line.

Better yet, start with a short question. Like I did when writing the opening line to the post you’re reading right now.

I know what you’re wondering right now…

What makes an opening line irresistible? How do I write such a thing?

Well… the bitter truth is that there’s so much content out there right now that no one’s taking the time to read every single article or blog post they stumble upon.

9 out 10 people that find your article never get past your opening line, which is why it’s crucial that you capture their attention from the start.

But how?

You see, blogging is not just about information or entertainment. Blogging is also a tool used by billions to connect with like-minded individuals. They want empathy, they want to feel understood.

The most seductive opening lines manage to make a reader feel less alone.

And this is why you should use the word…

Continue reading “The Art of Writing a Sensational First Line” →

Content Creation: 7 Phenomenal Tips That Are Going to Revolutionize The Way You Write Blog Posts

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 21 Comments

If you’re passionate about blogging, odds are that you’ve read articles, guides, or enrolled in blogging courses. Now, most of the advice regarding content creation is rather lukewarm.

After all, quality is subjective.

But the road you have to take in order to produce quality content is not.

That’s why I am going to share a few ways to think about your posts that are going to revolutionize the way you create your content.

Continue reading “Content Creation: 7 Phenomenal Tips That Are Going to Revolutionize The Way You Write Blog Posts” →

What They Never Tell You About Headlines: Writing One List After Another is Not Enough

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 5 Comments

You’ve been working hard on your blog: you put thought and effort into your About page, your site title and tagline, and you’ve even picked a great blog name. You sweat your photography. You read and re-read your drafts to make sure they’re just perfect.

With millions of posts published every day, how do you make sure your work stands out in the crowd? Crafting strong post headlines is one way to snag reader attention, pique interest, attract followers, and earn repeat visits. 

Here are a few ideas to think about as you write titles for your posts:

Continue reading “What They Never Tell You About Headlines: Writing One List After Another is Not Enough” →

[Blogging Mindset] How To Make Them Fall in Love With Your Words

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 24 Comments

To Niche or Not to Niche?

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 17 Comments

At one point or another, all bloggers have to sit down and decide whether they’re going to focus exclusively on a single topic or write about several related subjects in an attempt to have a broader target audience.

Now, this can be a difficult decision to make: after all, you can choose to write about a more specific niche in a single topic (say, specialize in fitness workouts for women over 40) or you can expand to more than one topic (fitness, health, nutrition).

Ultimately, your decision will likely reflect:

  • how much information there is to be written about, which also influences how often you can release new content
  • how much time you have to devote to your blog, researching topics, etc.
  • how big your potential audience is.
Continue reading “To Niche or Not to Niche?” →

The Only Piece of Advice You’ll Ever Need to Become a Successful Blogger

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 34 Comments

I’ve been blogging daily since April 2012. Since then, I published more than 2000 articles on art, inspiration, writing, motivation, and, yes, blogging.. And if I look back on what pieces got the highest exposure, follower growth, and made the most money — 80% of them are about blogging:

The 7 Golden Rules of Blogging

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers

What They Never Tell You About Blogging

And this makes me think that people who spend too much time reading everything there’s to be read about blogging will probably never become successful bloggers.

Do you know why?

Because reading these posts is a form of procrastination.

You tell yourself that you need to know the “secret” that will make you a better blogger and help you turn a hobby into a full-time income.

And I get that. I used to look for secrets too. I used to search for a “hack,” and I used to think that people who “made it” knew something I didn’t.

The truth is, there is no secret.

You achieve success as a blogger the same way you achieve success in almost anything in life: by doing something regularly for a long time and becoming better at it.

But most articles about blogging success aren’t about that, because it would disappoint the aspiring blogger who thinks there must be a way to grow fast without much work. The aspiring blogger wants tactics, details, tips and tricks.

But the truth is that if you don’t have it in you to put in the work in a consistent manner, none of those tricks will do you any good.

Continue reading “The Only Piece of Advice You’ll Ever Need to Become a Successful Blogger” →

The Five Essential Qualities of Great Blog Posts

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 8 Comments

Almost every “blogging blog” out there and about 97% of all blogging guides ever written state that one should always choose quality over quantity; one should write great content.

How does one do that though? What does it mean to write a great blog post? Hmm?

Well, there are a few qualities of great blog posts that set them apart from meh blog posts. Continue reading “The Five Essential Qualities of Great Blog Posts” →

[Blogging Mindset] Write Until Your Hands Hurt. And Then Write Some More.

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 10 Comments

“The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.”

Steven Pressfield

When you’re just starting out, you probably aren’t going to be that good. Okay, let’s face it: you’re going to suck. Big time.

I’m not telling you this to put you down in any way. But you’ve got to be aware of the fact that when you’re a beginner blogger, you are going to publish a lot of lackluster content.

It’s just the truth of the matter.

But how do you get better at blogging?

Continue reading “[Blogging Mindset] Write Until Your Hands Hurt. And Then Write Some More.” →

5 Fantastic Ways to Open a Blog Post like a Boss

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 40 Comments

What’s the second most important part of your blog post after the headline?

The introduction, of course.

Imagine just how disappointed you’d be after spending an insane amount of time to come up with a killer title for your post, only to lose readers within the first paragraph or two.  A great headline mixed with a lame opening is like getting stuck on a roller-coaster ride seconds after it starting.

So, here are five easy ways to open your post that will capture the reader’s imagination and make them want to read more.

Continue reading “5 Fantastic Ways to Open a Blog Post like a Boss” →

The Art of Blogging for An Audience

~ Cristian Mihai ~ 5 Comments

What I love most about blogging is how confusing the process seems to be. Beyond having to consistently produce quality content, you also have to network with other bloggers, take care of various social media accounts, guest blog, interview, connect with your readers, and feed your brain with as much information as possible.

And this got me thinking…

What exactly matters most when it comes to building an audience? Should you prioritize content creation over networking, or is it the other way around? Should you try to balance them both, feeling like you’re walking on tightrope on a daily basis?

Well, the truth is that this is an impossible question to answer. Sorry.

What I do know is that how you treat your readers matters an awful lot. So much so that the way you answer to the following questions can make even the most brilliant content you share not receive even a single like:

  • Do you reply to your readers?
  • How do you reply to your readers?
  • Do you talk down to your readers?
  • If I emailed you right now, would you respond?

Before we get too far into the topic, let me be clear: I don’t always reply to comments or e-mails. Some days I can’t respond, some messages are not worthy of a response, some messages don’t make much sense.

So I’m not perfect. Far from it.

But I’ve got to tell you that even though I always give 100% when it comes to creating content, if I don’t interact with my readers for any period of time, my views and comments tend to drop significantly.

Continue reading “The Art of Blogging for An Audience” →